Well guys ... it seems this may be the end of the road for me and PB ...

Powerbasic have decided after 9 years of my contributions that because Idont post at the forum with my real name to suspend my account. Yes, eventhough Bob has known about this since 2000, and this after I have posted2100 contributions over the 9 years.

And now they're not even returning my emails, even though I've handed overevery bit of info they need to realise that yes I am Wayne (and have evenmade a post while logged in to prove it). But that's still not good enough,and now they're not even returning my emails.

According to Jeff Daniels (I know what you're thinking - WHO!?) atPowerbasic he hasn't fully suspended my account, it's "just moderated" so hecan have a peek at every post to ensure that nobody learns about how he hastreated me, but that's as good as disabled because I can't even tell anybodyhow I've been treated.

Well ... ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU THEN.

CUSTOMER PRIVACY they have stated is not on their agenda, not even if you'vebeen with them for years - they want you to show your full name to the restof the world, and that's the ONLY thing they care about.

They won't even reply to my emails now.

Ironically this has only come about as a result of me emailing them somecode demonstrating a bug ... if I hadn't sent that email (or if I had'vesimply posted it to the forum instead) I'd still be there, but because Iemailed them they've suspended me.

Like I said I've been posting on the PB forums since 2000 now, as WayneDiamond. For the last half decade or so just about all of my posts have beensource code. I've also purchased over $1000 worth of PB software along theway, including PBDOS, PBCC2, PBCC3, PBDLL6, PBWIN7, PBWIN8, PBForms, andPowerGEN, and with my posts are over 2000 puts me in the top 1% ofcontributors, and have never made a single dollar out of any of my posts, soI feel I have pulled my weight in regards to contributing to the PBcommunity and helping support and promote the PB compilers.

However, there is seemingly one thing that is more important to Powerbasicthan anything else -- that you register at their forum using your real fullname. They dont even care if you never buy any of their programs again (I'mnot getting the impression they want me to buy any more), they just wantsyou to post with your full name.

Your lack of privacy is apparently worth more to them than your money orcontinued customer relationship.

I know this for a FACT now because even though I have been posting at theforums for 9 years and 2100+ posts later I am banned/censored/suspendedwhatever you want to call it, simply after emailing a bug report to***@powerbasic.comI noticed also just recently that Mike Trader was banned for the samereason, sparking a heated debate on the usenet powerbasic newsgroups.

First things first, as this is apparently the crux of why I am banned ...

Diamond isnt my real surname, its just pseudorandom - I don't use my realname on ANY forums on the Internet because I - unlike Powerbasic - value myfamily's privacy, and nobody on the Internet NEEDS to know my surname unlessit's during a secure financial transaction. (Does it matter if my name isDiamond or Smith?)Surely everybody here has heard of how myspace and facebook especially areconstantly attacked by dataminers because so many people there use theirreal name.

Every time I've purchased a PB product I've used my real surname (as that'sa financial SECURE transaction over HTTPS), so both Powerbasic, and theirbank, and my bank, knows my real surname and have done since 2000 when Ifirst purchased PBCC2, PBDLL6, PBDOS and PowerGEN. So it's not like I'mhiding my surname from Powerbasic.

When I registered at the forums in 2000 Bob emailed me about my name inregards to being against their real names policy, but I argued thatcustomers have a right to privacy when it comes to having their namespublished, and he didn't email me back, so I assumed he had turned a blindeye to it - especially 9 years and 2100+ posts later. Afterall, he knows myreal surname, so there is no reason why I should have to make it availableto the rest of the world.

So how did this come about? ...

Well today I discovered a strange problem after calling an MMX opcode, it isvery peculiar ...

... as you can see, the Len1 and Len2 values are correct initially, butafter the call to the MOVQ instruction the second part is totally wrong.However, if you use HEX$ instead of STR$ they display ok, so it's a funnyone. I don't really know what's going on with this gremlin at the moment -it may not be a PB fault, but I still feel appalled at how ive been treatedjust for raising the issue privately to them.

I opted to email PB about it rather than posting it on the forums as I feltit's just more courteous to inform software vendors via private means inregards to possible bugs, as I stated in my first email to them: "Thought Ishould check with you guys before asking anyone on the forum. Thanks guys,Wayne Diamond"

But rather than a "thanks for the report and code, we'll analyse it and getback to you later" email I was stunned to receive an ID check email ...

Thanks for writing! We'll need more information to get startedwith your support issue. Would you please complete thefollowing and send it back as soon as possible? Thanks!last namefirst namepostal code

product

serial number

My initial reaction was "HUH!?!? IM JUST REPORTING A BUG!!!!!"

The email was from a "Jeff Daniels", quite a generic name so rather thangoogling i checked with POFFS but only found 10 results (not as big oncontributing to the PB community as I was it seems).He also posted several times using the account of "Steve Rossell".Interesting.http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showpost.php?p=103426&postcount=4http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showpost.php?p=103976&postcount=2http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showpost.php?p=128181&postcount=2etc

Anyway since then I have given them my first name, my last name (well, thefirst 2 letters and the last letter, but its not as if I can GUESS allthree) and they know what my surname is, my two postal codes, all PBproducts and all serial numbers + auth codes, and even more ...

ie. I HAVE GIVEN THEM EVERYTHING they asked for.

Yet they have still suspended my 9 year old account.

Here are some of their email comments ...

Also the forum rules state that you must use yourreal first and last names. If this is you, you will needto rename your forum account or it will be disabled.

-

Unfortunately we will not be able to provide you withthe results of our investigation, until we can validatethat you are a lawful PowerBASIC owner.

IF I HAD NEVER REPORTED THIS BUG I WOULDNT BE SUSPENDED.

Conclusion: It is more important for Powerbasic to show my full name to theworld than to have me as a customer and contributor, nor do they give a crapabout bugs.

PB Support emailed me back ...

Hi Wayne,It is so nice to hear from you again.

So genuine isn't it?

But in other words, it was confirmation that they do know that yes I am ME,Wayne.Yet one paragraph later ...

Unfortunately we will not be able to provide youwith the results of our investigation, until we canvalidate that you are a lawful PowerBASIC owner.

And here's a beauty, proving that Jeff Daniels hasn't seen a single one of

You signed your first email to support with "Wayne Diamond".We have no Wayne Diamond in our customer database, so I wasmerely trying to get your last name, which you so far haverefused to provide.

Refused to provide? No, i gave him the first 2 and last initials - how am Isupposed to magically GUESS that unless I knew?

So 9 years and $1000+ of PB purchases later Powerbasic have decided I'm nowsome sort of criminal pirate.

It's also now clear that anybody can simply email ***@powerbasic.comclaiming to be anybody from the forums, and as it's apparently PB's policyto check up the ID of every person emailing them they'll disable thataccount if you don't then provide details.

THERE ARE JUST SO MANY THINGS WRONG WITH THIS IN SO MANY WAYS. Why couldntthey simply just email me back "Thanks for the report, we'll check it outand get back to you" like any company that values its customers would???

No wonder the PB community is so small and long-time regulars like Borje,Semen, Steve, Vladimir etc are disappearing ... :-/

Post by Wayne DiamondWell guys ... it seems this may be the end of the road for me and PB ...Powerbasic have decided after 9 years of my contributions that because Idont post at the forum with my real name to suspend my account. Yes, eventhough Bob has known about this since 2000, and this after I have posted2100 contributions over the 9 years.And now they're not even returning my emails, even though I've handed overevery bit of info they need to realise that yes I am Wayne (and have evenmade a post while logged in to prove it). But that's still not good enough,and now they're not even returning my emails.According to Jeff Daniels (I know what you're thinking - WHO!?) atPowerbasic he hasn't fully suspended my account, it's "just moderated" so hecan have a peek at every post to ensure that nobody learns about how he hastreated me, but that's as good as disabled because I can't even tell anybodyhow I've been treated.Well ... ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU THEN.CUSTOMER PRIVACY they have stated is not on their agenda, not even if you'vebeen with them for years - they want you to show your full name to the restof the world, and that's the ONLY thing they care about.They won't even reply to my emails now.Ironically this has only come about as a result of me emailing them somecode demonstrating a bug ... if I hadn't sent that email (or if I had'vesimply posted it to the forum instead) I'd still be there, but because Iemailed them they've suspended me.Like I said I've been posting on the PB forums since 2000 now, as WayneDiamond. For the last half decade or so just about all of my posts have beensource code. I've also purchased over $1000 worth of PB software along theway, including PBDOS, PBCC2, PBCC3, PBDLL6, PBWIN7, PBWIN8, PBForms, andPowerGEN, and with my posts are over 2000 puts me in the top 1% ofcontributors, and have never made a single dollar out of any of my posts, soI feel I have pulled my weight in regards to contributing to the PBcommunity and helping support and promote the PB compilers.However, there is seemingly one thing that is more important to Powerbasicthan anything else -- that you register at their forum using your real fullname. They dont even care if you never buy any of their programs again (I'mnot getting the impression they want me to buy any more), they just wantsyou to post with your full name.Your lack of privacy is apparently worth more to them than your money orcontinued customer relationship.I know this for a FACT now because even though I have been posting at theforums for 9 years and 2100+ posts later I am banned/censored/suspendedwhatever you want to call it, simply after emailing a bug report toI noticed also just recently that Mike Trader was banned for the samereason, sparking a heated debate on the usenet powerbasic newsgroups.First things first, as this is apparently the crux of why I am banned ...Diamond isnt my real surname, its just pseudorandom - I don't use my realname on ANY forums on the Internet because I - unlike Powerbasic - value myfamily's privacy, and nobody on the Internet NEEDS to know my surname unlessit's during a secure financial transaction. (Does it matter if my name isDiamond or Smith?)Surely everybody here has heard of how myspace and facebook especially areconstantly attacked by dataminers because so many people there use theirreal name.Every time I've purchased a PB product I've used my real surname (as that'sa financial SECURE transaction over HTTPS), so both Powerbasic, and theirbank, and my bank, knows my real surname and have done since 2000 when Ifirst purchased PBCC2, PBDLL6, PBDOS and PowerGEN. So it's not like I'mhiding my surname from Powerbasic.When I registered at the forums in 2000 Bob emailed me about my name inregards to being against their real names policy, but I argued thatcustomers have a right to privacy when it comes to having their namespublished, and he didn't email me back, so I assumed he had turned a blindeye to it - especially 9 years and 2100+ posts later. Afterall, he knows myreal surname, so there is no reason why I should have to make it availableto the rest of the world.So how did this come about? ...Well today I discovered a strange problem after calling an MMX opcode, it isvery peculiar ...'#COMPILE EXEFUNCTION PBMAIN() AS LONG#REGISTER NONELOCAL sTxt1 AS STRING, sTxt2 AS STRING, dwLen AS DWORDsTxt1 = "abcdefgh"sTxt2 = "12345678"dwLen = LEN(sTxt1)STDOUT "Len1=" & STR$(dwLen) & ", txt=" & sTxt1STDOUT "Len2=" & STR$(LEN(sTxt2)) & ", txt=" & sTxt2! mov edi, sTxt1! movq mm7, [edi]dwLen = LEN(sTxt1)STDOUT "Len1=" & STR$(dwLen) & ", txt=" & sTxt1STDOUT "Len2=" & STR$(LEN(sTxt2)) & ", txt=" & sTxt2END FUNCTION'Len1= 8, txt=abcdefghLen2= 8, txt=12345678Len1= 0, txt=abcdefgh '<-- WRONGLen2= 92.2337203685478, txt=12345678 '<-- WRONG... as you can see, the Len1 and Len2 values are correct initially, butafter the call to the MOVQ instruction the second part is totally wrong.However, if you use HEX$ instead of STR$ they display ok, so it's a funnyone. I don't really know what's going on with this gremlin at the moment -it may not be a PB fault, but I still feel appalled at how ive been treatedjust for raising the issue privately to them.I opted to email PB about it rather than posting it on the forums as I feltit's just more courteous to inform software vendors via private means inregards to possible bugs, as I stated in my first email to them: "Thought Ishould check with you guys before asking anyone on the forum. Thanks guys,Wayne Diamond"But rather than a "thanks for the report and code, we'll analyse it and getback to you later" email I was stunned to receive an ID check email ...

Thanks for writing! We'll need more information to get startedwith your support issue. Would you please complete thefollowing and send it back as soon as possible? Thanks!last namefirst namepostal code

My initial reaction was "HUH!?!? IM JUST REPORTING A BUG!!!!!"The email was from a "Jeff Daniels", quite a generic name so rather thangoogling i checked with POFFS but only found 10 results (not as big oncontributing to the PB community as I was it seems).He also posted several times using the account of "Steve Rossell".Interesting.http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showpost.php?p=103426&post...http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showpost.php?p=103976&post...http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showpost.php?p=128181&post...etcAnyway since then I have given them my first name, my last name (well, thefirst 2 letters and the last letter, but its not as if I can GUESS allthree) and they know what my surname is, my two postal codes, all PBproducts and all serial numbers + auth codes, and even more ...ie. I HAVE GIVEN THEM EVERYTHING they asked for.Yet they have still suspended my 9 year old account.Here are some of their email comments ...

Also the forum rules state that you must use yourreal first and last names. If this is you, you will needto rename your forum account or it will be disabled.

-

Unfortunately we will not be able to provide you withthe results of our investigation, until we can validatethat you are a lawful PowerBASIC owner.

IF I HAD NEVER REPORTED THIS BUG I WOULDNT BE SUSPENDED.Conclusion: It is more important for Powerbasic to show my full name to theworld than to have me as a customer and contributor, nor do they give a crapabout bugs.PB Support emailed me back ...> > Hi Wayne,

It is so nice to hear from you again.

So genuine isn't it?But in other words, it was confirmation that they do know that yes I am ME,Wayne.Yet one paragraph later ...

Unfortunately we will not be able to provide youwith the results of our investigation, until we canvalidate that you are a lawful PowerBASIC owner.

And here's a beauty, proving that Jeff Daniels hasn't seen a single one ofmy forum posts over the last 9 years:> > You signed your first email to support with "Wayne Diamond".

We have no Wayne Diamond in our customer database, so I wasmerely trying to get your last name, which you so far haverefused to provide.

Refused to provide? No, i gave him the first 2 and last initials - how am Isupposed to magically GUESS that unless I knew?So 9 years and $1000+ of PB purchases later Powerbasic have decided I'm nowsome sort of criminal pirate.YET they still leave all my source code contributions available,interesting. Surely if I'm that bad they'd delete my posts???claiming to be anybody from the forums, and as it's apparently PB's policyto check up the ID of every person emailing them they'll disable thataccount if you don't then provide details.THERE ARE JUST SO MANY THINGS WRONG WITH THIS IN SO MANY WAYS. Why couldntthey simply just email me back "Thanks for the report, we'll check it outand get back to you" like any company that values its customers would???No wonder the PB community is so small and long-time regulars like Borje,Semen, Steve, Vladimir etc are disappearing ... :-/Regards,Wayne Diamond

Hello Mr. "X",

It's so nice to hear from you again. {smile} In one day, our staffreceived 51 emails from you. Even though you requested free technicalsupport, you refused to provide your real name in any one of thoseemails. Once, you even provided 2 or 3 letters of your surname, buttold our engineer that it was his problem to determine the remainingletters. That makes our job very difficult. And expensive. Ouremployees responded to at least 25 of those emails, which takes timeand money, but each response was polite and businesslike. Yes, theyfinally figured out your real identity, but the process was fairlyridiculous.

This whole long post really boils down to 2 simple issues:

1- When you ask for free tech support, you need to identify yourself.For very good reason, this policy won't change.

2- When you registered for the PowerBASIC Forums, you promised tofollow the rules. Rule #1 is "Post only under your real, full name".When our support engineer learned that the name "Wayne Diamond" was afalse identity, he asked you to follow the rules, just like all thethousands of other members. It really doesn't matter that you "gotaway with it for years". To post on the PowerBASIC Forums, you mustuse your real, full name unless or until we change the rule. I mustwarn that I don't expect a modification any time soon.

We'll be very happy to discuss suggestions about any PowerBASIC policywith you, or any other of our friends and customers. We'veimplemented hundreds, maybe thousands, of great suggestions already.But stomping your feet here isn't likely to foster a change youdesire.

- YOU (Bob Zale) have known that I was posting under an alias since 2000when I first registered and YOU personally emailed me saying "you need touse your real name". I emailed you back explaining that I had privacyconcerns, and that as long as you knew my real name nobody else on the forumhad any need or right to.

- Yet you didn't ban me, and for the next ___NINE AND A HALF YEARS___ I thenmade over 2100+ posts to the forum, and several emails to ***@. Thisafter investing over $1000 in software purchases from you.

- It was only when I emailed a bug report to support@ and ended up with'Jeff Daniels' responding to my case that I ended up with my accountsuspended. Granted he obviously had no idea of our communications in 2000,and being so new didn't even know there was a Wayne Diamond, so I guess hewas just following your strict anti-customer-privacy policy.

So what you have PROVEN BY DEMONSTRATION (there's no argument because you'vedone it) is that even if somebody has been supporting Powerbasic for over 9years with over 2100+ contributions - mostly all source code, you DO NOTCARE what they have contributed to the Powerbasic community.

What you are saying is that even if somebody's made a decades worth ofcontributions you've suddenly decided that it is MORE IMPORTANT that I amregistered at the PB Forums with my real name. Even though nobody else careswhether im Tom, Dick or Harry (nor should they, seeing as they have no wayto verify that).

And even though YOU know my real name, that's still not enough for you -- itapparently matters _SO MUCH_ for you/Powerbasic to show my real name to theworld, going against all my privacy concerns for my family.

THAT is THE SINGLE MOST DISGRACEFUL disregard of a customers privacyconcerns I have ever heard, so I will NEVER do business with Powerbasicagain, and YES I feel betrayed after spending so much money and so manyyears of my time investing in Powerbasic, but I hope others can learn fromthis before they make the same mistake of investing so much money in such asmall company and hoping to be treated as a customer with respect.

You must have a false identity for every day of the week? Yesterday,it was Wayne Diamond, today it's Dave Turner? Will it be George W.Bush tomorrow? How in the world can you remember which false identityyou're hiding behind on which day? {smile}

I guess you must have a new philosophy every day of the week, too?Just yesterday, you posted this on Jose Roca's forum:

"I actually do like how the PB Forum asks new users to use their realnames, because with real-named people rather than whacky aliases itdoes give the general feel of the forum a more professional one, andthat's a good setting for a software development forum..."

So, which Wayne are we talking to today? The "good" Wayne? The "eviltwin" Wayne? Or some other Wayne? {smile}

Incidentally, you are not being forced to post to the PowerBASICForums against your will. All posts are at the choice of the member.When you registered, you promised to abide by the rules andguidelines. Just because you "got away with deception" for a timedoes not rescind your promise. Please be a man of your word, and re-register under your real name? As a alternative, we could just updateyour current account to your real name. Which would you prefer,Wayne?

Wayne, I have followed your work closely and use a lot of your codethat you so very kindly contributed. You have always been polite andworked hard on tough problems earning my admiration. I use your ideasin a lot of my projects, esp the security stuff. I will be very sad tosee you go.

It seems Mr Zale is amusing himself with these tirades on his userbase at the moment, to what end we can only wonder. I have been bannedfor almost 2 years now after being a registered member for 9 yearstoo. There are many communities on the web that can provide a greatsubstitute for the PB forum (contact me if you would like somesuggestions)Wishing you the very best

I would like to point out that PowerBASIC, Inc. takes all bug reportsseriously, even from non-registered users. The problem was not withWayne reporting a bug, but with the fact that he refused to providehis real name when writing to support. After reviewing the bug thatWayne reported, the problem is not with the compiler, but with thecustomer's assembler code. When you execute an MMX or SIMD instruction(those that use MMX data), the FPU is placed in MMX state. You maythen execute additional MMX or CPU opcodes. When you wish to exit MMXstate and execute standard FPU opcodes, you must first execute an EMMSopcode. Failure to do so will result in floating-point exceptions orincorrect results.

The problem is not that there might be a bug in powerbasic's compiler,its that Mr Zale is so sensitive to any suggestion of that possabilityhe over reacts and ban's well meaning users.

I don't think there is any doubt that a small bug can be found andfixed, that s after all your business, but this relentless paranoiaregarding user's personal information is completely counterproductive.

Since Mr Zale had me banned from Jose Rocas forum within days ofbanning me from the powerbasic forum (unless of course it's a giantcoincidence that is yet another figment of my imagination ) I willrespond to the current threadhttp://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?PHPSESSID=70465e4677ead6b6c795beb262ca598f&topic=3240.0here:

- Patrice Terrier

By the way we all know that some people have a thinner skin than other, and we also regret that some of the most valuable >PB contributors have disapeared, this could also happen to me sooner or later

Almost certainly. Read the sad story of Frank Cox to verify that:

"I originally purchased the Powerbasic compiler when it was calledTurbo Basic1.0 around 1987 when it was first released. I bought my first copy ofTurboBasic from our local Radio Shack store and sent in the registrationcard forit. From then up until about 1995, every time a new version of TurboBasic (andnow Powerbasic) was released, I got a notice in the mail offering mean updateto the new version at a reduced price. I have purchased every upgradeof theDOS version of the Powerbasic compiler from the company since theinitial 1.0release of Turbo Basic. Therefore, I suspect that I am one of theoldest,longest-term customers that Powerbasic has (or had).

Powerbasic for the Linux operating system has been promised ever sinceMarch25,1999, when an employee of Powerbasic named Dave Navarro posted amessage inthe Powerbasic forum stating that Powerbasic for Linux would bereleased "sometime this year".

For several years, the Powerbasic website had a section which stated"Linux iscoming soon".

(I have attached screenshots to this message showing thesestatements.)

On January 29, 2008, someone on the Powerbasic forum asked whenPowerbasic forLinux would be released. I replied to his question by statingsomething to theeffect that "Powerbasic for Linux has been 'coming real soon now' forover tenyears, but unfortunately it hasn't ever been released." I also saidhowdisappointed I was that it hadn't actually appeared because I wasplanning tobe the first customer buying it when it did show up.

Bob Zale immediately challenged me on the forum asking me to provethatPowerbasic for Linux had been promised for over ten years. When Iposted theproof that he asked for, he called me a liar, deleted the proof that Ihadposted, and banned me from the forum. In fact, he banned my IPaddress from hiswebsite completely, so I couldn't even read anything on that websitefrom myusual Internet account. Most unfortunately, he deleted enough of thethread onthe forum that he left me looking like I had lied, which was bothincorrect andunfair as he was maligning my reputation.

I thought this was unreasonable treatment (and still do), so I tookthediscussion to a forum where Bob Zale can't control, edit or deleteanythingthat other people post, that being the Usenetcomp.lang.basic.powerbasicnewsgroup. While not nearly as active as the Powerbasic web forum,some peoplewho are interested in Powerbasic do follow that newsgroup.

When I posted a description of my treatment and the current situation,someonewho signed himself "Tim Robbins/Powerbasic Inc." posted this:

QUOTE:You really should tell the truth, not to mention the "whole truth".

1- You were not "banned" from the PowerBASIC Forums.

2- No action was taken because of a "response" we didn't like.

3- You were temporarily blocked from posting because you attempted to"flood" our forums with nasty messages at a very high rate. You thenbegan to flood our emails, too. When folks get out of control, wehave to deal with it.END OF QUOTE

This was a complete fabrication on his part.

1. I was banned from the Powerbasic forums, in fact I was banned fromtheentire website.2. I was banned because I dared to post proof of the fact thatPowerbasic forLinux was promised since 1998.3. The accusation of "flooding" is wholly invented by Powerbasic. Itdidn'thappen.

You won't be able to read the thread on the Powerbasic forum that gotme bannedbecause Bob Zale deleted it. You can read the exchange that we had ontheUsenet newsgroup, though. The whole thing is archived and availablehere:

In conclusion, I am a long-term customer of Powerbasic, since beforeit wasPowerbasic Inc. (It was originally a product of BorlandInternational, thenit was sold by Spectra Publishing, then it was sold by PowerbasicInc., and Ihave made regular purchases from all of these companies over theyears.)

I was banned from the Powerbasic web forum for making a statement thatBob Zaledidn't like, and then proving it when he asked me to do so.

The Powerbasic for DOS compiler that I have purchased and used is avery niceproduct. Bob Zale and Powerbasic Inc, on the other hand, treat theircustomerscapriciously and unreasonably.

Though I still use the Powerbasic for DOS compiler that I bought fromthem years ago, after they treated me the way that they did last year,I haveabsolutely no interest or intention of dealing with them or making anyfurtherpurchases from them in the future. I strongly recommend that anyonewho plansto build any kind of a business around computer programming shouldstay faraway from Powerbasic Inc. They have demonstrated that they will nothesitateto ban you for any reason or none at all. A compiler is a productwhereinteraction with other people who use it is a very important part ofthe productitself; it becomes much less useful if you can't discuss problems,issues andtechniques with other programmers who use the same compiler that youdo.

Bob Zale and Powerbasic Inc are not a company or individual that Icare to dealwith. In my opinion, Powerbasic Inc is not operated in an ethicalmanner.

Frank Cox"(Address and phone number withheld to protect his privacy)

- Wayne Diamond

After I registered at the PB forums in 2000 Bob emailed me and we basically had the same debate we're having now for a day >or two, but in the end it seemed he just turned a blind eye to it, which is how I thought it has been for these last 9 years >so I thought everything was fine.I am absolutely dumbfounded that Powerbasic cannot, in 2009, understand a customers request for privacy, and now their new >jnr tech support kids are googling for info about me.Why do you think people are opting for privacy when they register domains these days???If people choose to post with their full name then that's fine, but FORCING people to do so (even when it cannot be enforced >- it's taken 9 years for PB to enforce this) just goes against common sense as much as it takes away privacy.

Exactly. How can Mr Zale make a legitimatly insist that peple registerwith their FULL REAL name when he ALLOWS even one person to use anick? I was also granted permission to use my nick by him, on thephone, in person in 2005. It is farcical to use this as thecornerstone of powerbasic's user policy and now ban these SAME USERSwith this "policy"

- Edwin Knoppert

An alias is *very* acceptable, as long the forum admin knows who you are.On my board i add the user but they can change the name, i still know who it is.

Precisly

I don't like nicknames, it's often very childies, go to the purebasic forum to see an example of that.

Yes, and they come off as being childish and perhaps not take asseriously, but that is their right and privildge.

- Wayne Diamond

And if the forum's Heads know who you are then what different does it make? As long as they know nobody else in the world >needs to.ps. I have privately msg'd Jose but he's a genuinely good guy so I'm sure he won't treat me like a criminal.

Un-fortunatly, as I am sure you will find out, Jose's boss is Mr Zale.You WILL be banned as I was. (more later)

- Bob Houle

I think Wayne is 110% correct..------------Register as: Real NameWhat name would you like the public to know you as? : Nice Alias------------What's the harm? I'll never have any 'official' dealings with Wayne, and if I did he would clarify this, if needed.I believe the forum management has the right to know a persons real name, but should understand that everyone has the right >to display a name that he/she finds suitable.

Exactly!

- Patrice Terrier

Now, if Wayne, or whatever he/she/it is, has a very special reason to use a pseudo, he/she/it can always reach José privatly >and exposed his/her/its problem. But so far, the official policy of this forum is YOU MUST USE YOUR REAL NAME to post or >download files from this forum.

I have a VERY special reason... my privacy, not to mention the veryobvious detrimental affect on my INCOME from clients searching my nameand getting access to my work and compilable code!

- Wayne Diamond

Patrice ... question - how could you or Jose or anybody else here tell if I was using my real name or not?

GREAT QUESTION!

The answer is you can't, as I haven't done any secure financial transactions with you (and even then I might've used a >company card or gift card etc). So for starters it's a mostly-unenforceable protocol.

I suggested a solution to this in 2007http://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?topic=1273.0Charging $1 to register would solve this problem. Who would not pay $1to download all the material on Jose's site?This was of course ignored. Why? Because the real reason behindrequiring FULL REAL names to register has nothing whatever to do withyour FULL REAL name. (More later)

- Chris Boss

Forums which use an alias tend to degrade in time.

That is your opinion. I belong to many forums where this is not thecase. Most forums on the internet do not require your FULL REAL name.A nick is defined by what you post in the same way that your FULL REALNAME is. There is no difference. Your personality in REAL life cuts noice in an internet forum as we have all found out. Your are judged byyour posts.

Since people feel they are protected behind their alias (nobody knows who >they are), they can say "anything they want".

Yes.... and that is the whole point. It's called free speach, that wasthe first amendment to the constution for a very good reason. Theproblem is Mr Zale is seeking to limit our first amendment rights byusing the underhanded methods of thread deletion and banning whilescreaming about his "private property" as loud as he can.

It also draws unscrupulous characters in time who always stay behind an alias.The use of real names, plus a well moderated forum protects the quality of the forum in the long run.

Since many people register to use the powerbasic forums without buyinganything, there is no way to tell if these people have made up a FULLREAL name. That negates this whole argument (aside from the fact thatMr Zale actually ALLOWS people to use nick's as Wayne and I testify tohere)

Another area of concern is protection from illegal users of ones software.Most companies want to limit the illegal use of their software. While it is not possible to prevent all such use, one can >limit such use my "knowing" all the members on your support forums. If alias' were use this would be impossible. Reals name, >while not a perfect solution, does tend to keep away such individuals.

Obtaining pirated PB products is a simple matter unfortunatly. Ibattle software pirates as much as anyone that has released ashareware product. Piracy is wrong. I would work to support anysoftware vendor, including powerbasic from having their productspriated. However, it is a fact of life that we all have to live with.

If the intention is to curtail support to these individuals then thisis NOT the way to do it. As I suggested in 2007, this can easily bedone by requiring users to register with a credit card paying anominal fee of $1. Who can argue that support of any kind isn't worth$1? Then the vendor knows who the users are and can determine if theyhave bought product. Simple. This immediatly negates the requirementfor a FULL REAL name, yet it is not implemented. Why?

Now I do understand once in a while the need for privacy in a few instances.

Well I would argue that everyone is entitled to their privacy, butlets even leave that aside. The problem is, who is the arbitor of this"once ina while"? You, Mr Zale? some $8/hr powerbasic employee? Assoon as you put that decision in someone else's hands, you havedefeated everyone's right to privacy.

In such rare cases where the need for an alias is an absolute necessity, the one who requires it must be prepared to pay the >price for this, not PowerBasic.

What on earth does that mean? People who value their privacy (and arenot so reckless as to post their FULL REAL name) are subject to beingharrassed by tinpot internet bussinesses? Come on, that doesn't evenpass the sniff test...

Now some forum moderators "may" allow the use of an alias in a rare instance, but if they have the policy of real names it >isn't surprising they would ban someone who used an alias (even though they felt they must) if they weren't told about it >ahead of time and asked if they could do so.

Well the problem with this logic is that Mr Zale can't have it bothways. A policy is a policy. If you state it as such, you can'tundermine it by letting people use nicks. It is utterly ludicrous toallow someone to use an alias for NINE YEARS and then cite this as thereason for banning him. It is perfectly obvious to anyone, that MrZale is just having a little hissy fit and "stopming his feet" (toborrow his favorite expression).

If you request before registering from the moderator and explain "why" an alias is necessary, this may be acceptable.

Well this is exactly what I did with Jose Roca's forum. Then thepolicy changed (a long while after I had joined) and contributed. Joseknew who I was and allowed me to post, at least until Mr Zale bannedme and sent my PERSONAL INFORMATION gained at time of sale to him, atotally illegal act, violating every privacy statute not to mentionpowerbasic's own privacy policy.

If you registered with an alias hoping you don't get caught or assuming the moderator does know who you are (which they may >or may not) and then they finally catch up with you, it is only reasonable they ban someone from the forum.

That is not the case for me or Wayne.

Privacy in a "public" forum doesn't seem to go hand in hand. If one particpates in a public forum, one should expect to lose >a degree of privacy.If one wants absolute privacy, then one should not participate in a public forum.

This argument is flawed on its face since internet nicks obviouslyprovide identity privacy.

Now in the case of my own customers, those who require absolute privacy still have the option of emailing me with questions. >That is as private as it will get for support.If they want the viewpoint of others, I may personally post their question on my forums, but in my name so they can read the >answers, yet not need to post.

You obviously genuinly care about your customers. What does it sayabout powerbasic that they are not willing to do the same?

Many may not realize this, but many of the common forum software programs (UBB, Simple Machines, PHPBB) are the target of >spammer attacks by robot software which registers fake names for the purpose of spamming.

Yes, and yahoo and google and.... this is why we have CAPTCHA. Anotherbogus argument.

wierd fake user names which are easy to spot.

If you are suggesting that wierd names can be offensive, I agree. Itis not unreasonable for a froum admin to REQUEST that someone findsomething a little more personal or appropriate if needed, but peopleshould be allowed to use nicks if they wish.

My own forums have been attacked regularly so I have even more of a reason to enforce real names.

Yes but IN FACT you don't. The only way to verify if a name is real,is by getting a payment with a credit card or like.

- Charles Pegge

But as long as the true name is known to the administrator then the member can be held to account for their good behaviour.And if a member uses their alias consistently across the web, (as many famous authors adopt pseudonyms) then I think this is >legit.

Absolutly right.

- Theo Gottwald

You can see my picture and on my web-site there is real adress.

It is perfectly obvious that you have no net worth. If you did youwould be a little more concerned about your personal privacy. One day,perhaps after you have had your identity stolen, or got one too manyspam emails and deleted an important sales lead by mistake, or beeninterupted at a deal signing by some telemarketer, you will realizethe importance of this fundamental issue.

So I hope he'll re-think it and come back with a name

PAY ATTENTION THEO. He has thought this through VERY CAREFULLY as haveI. We are not going to compromise our privacy to gratify Mr Zales ego.It is not going to happen OK.

The sub text of this comment is that you wish Wayne to reamin a partof the community and compromise his values. Some of us have integrity.We don't roll over and play dead at the first sign of trouble andcertainly do not let bandits hijack our security to satisfy theirvanity. You would do well to "re-think" your position.

- Carlo Pagani

Let me add that I do not accept the "Identity theft" excuse for an alias in Waynes case because if someone as computer >literate as he is can get his identity stolen, then God help the rest of us.

Carlo, in the US, it is all too easy. I had my identy stolen when Iwent to a Chevy dealer to test drive a Corvette! You have no idea howmuch trouble that caused. I wasted six months and lost a very sweetdeal because of it.

- Frederick J. Harris

I know where you are coming from Theo. I think a man should stand by his name. In the not so distant past people with >pride & honor fought duels over any perceived or real disparagement of their name.

Woouldn't it be nice if those values persisted today. Unfortunatly thereality of the world we live in is very different! Sneak theives willsteal from you without you even knowing. The first incling I had thatmy identity had been stolen was when I got a telegram from a CreditCard company informing me that I needed to make a payment on a $20kbalance.

As far as Wayne is concerned it strikes me as ridiculous to give up using a computer language just because ... he has been >banned from the PowerBASIC Forums.

It is ridiculous. But this is the reality of the situation both he, I,and good people like Frank Cox (read above) find ourselves in.

Wayne ought to just sign up with his real name and be done with it, IMHO.

You are not listening. Privacy is not something we are willing tocompromise for Mr Zale, and rightly so. This is something you shouldbe adressing with powerbasic in the strongest possible terms. This isa fundamental issue.

- Theo Gottwald

At the end the truth will reveal.

You've read it here.

I am a man after all. I won't run away if there is a chance for a fight.

So why arn't you fighting? You role over like a lap dog when Zalerattles your inbox. Try standing up for what's right for once.

- Laurence Jackson

My impulse is to always use my real name.

and that's your right and priviledge

However, I can't really see the problem in Wayne's case. He has consistently used the same name through the years on the PB >forum and now this one.

Exactly

privacy is a perfectly valid reason if that's important to you.

Exactly

But does it really matter if it's your REAL name as long as it's a consistent name? (like the stage name of an actor).

No, it doesn't

I have also been "banned" from the PowerBasic forums. But PB has been my Windows programming language of choice for a few >years now and I'm not going to stop using it just because of a stupid little thing like that! I don't really hang around the >PB forums anymore, and that's sad - I used to feel part of a community there and it was the most important thing in keeping >me going when I was just starting and on the steep part of the learning curve. Ironically, it was that feeling "part of a >community" that was at root of getting me banned. I cared enough to make a suggestion for improvement by email that was >taken the wrong way. I was stung by the viciousness of the reply and one thing led to another... It does indeed seem to be a >very dangerous thing to email PowerBasic Inc.!But I'm still using PB. My opinion of it and of Bob Zale as a programmer hasn't changed. It's still a great product that is >worth treating its creator with kid gloves for.

Well that appears to be the concensus of every PB developer, and thisis precisly what enables Mr Zale to do what he does and get away withit. He is counting on you to make that evaluation and if you are aseasoned developer, then you can probably function without the forums.

The only remaiing problem then, is the rising body count. At whatpoint do you say enough? We have lost some of the greatest mostbrilliant developers in the world to Mr Zale's ego. I remember readingone of Semen's posts for a week trying to understand how brilliant itwas. I have NEVER done that with any of Mr Zale's posts. Every time Iread his responses I want to go take a shower.

At what point is the destruction to the community and expulsion ofmembers going to be too much for even the party faithful to tolerate?By the time Patrice has been banned and Jose has had a stomach full,whats left won't be worth being a part of anyway. It is astounding howmuch everyone is willing to tolerate.

- Bob Zale

You are not banned from the PowerBASIC Forums. You have never been banned from the PowerBASIC Forums.

That's what you told the BBB and Florida Dept of Consumer Serviceabout my status. That's a factual inaccuracy, or to use your turn ofphrase: "you're a liar!"Why do you even bother to say these things? You even contradictyourself in your replies. It's pathetic to watch you make theseworthless statements of innocence while you rush around behind thescenes wrecking mayhem and havoc at every turn.Would'nt it be eaiser to take an anger management class or 5000, andjust play nice?

- Laurence Jackson

I found that I had gone from "locked out" to "moderated" (my message appeared after an hour or two). But, like a guest, I'm >still prohibited from downloading any attachments.

A great example of how public pressure actually works!

- Bob Zale

Actually, I don't think that's correct, either. You probably just forgot, but a couple of months ago, you created a second >forum account, using a false identity.

Ah, so despite your claim that:"The vast majority highly approve of the policy"http://groups.google.com/group/alt.lang.powerbasic/browse_thread/thread/6e4ac9f0614d38bf#It seems there is yet another exampe of someone that does not want touse their FULL REAL name as demanded.Perhaps the vast majority actually value their privacy, as arguedhere?

- Bob Zale

Had you simply logged in under your real name

Yes it only takes a second for you to ruin a lifetime of carefullidentity protection. No thanks

In an email after banning me in Feb 2008 you said:"Thank for getting back to me. We have thousands of forum members andall of them follow the rules, except you. It would not be fair toallow you to break the rules, which everyone else follows. I havediscussed this with Mr. Zale and he concurrs. Please let me know whichof the two choices, you prefer.1) change you handle to you real name2) we will change your your handle foryou.You have until 4pm Eastern Standard Time to change your handle or wewill do it for you."

In the light of what we now know about Wayne, the statement "all ofthem follow the rules" is obviously yet another bare faced lie. Atthis time Mr Zale had clearly given him permission to use a nick.

- José Roca

Nothing sinister, I hope. Börje had health problems and I don't have any news from him since then, but I can confirm that >Lance, Steve, Semen and Vladimir are alive.

Yes, but NONE of them post on the PB forum any longer... why is thatdo you think?

I noticed also just recently that Mike Trader was banned for the same reason, sparking a heated debate on the usenet >powerbasic newsgroups.And before, he did the same in the FreeBasic and VBWire forums, and even in the Wikipedia!

And that is a surprise after being banned without any warning, andgiven no reason whatsoever?You have been around PB since about 2001 I think. Imgaine for a momentthat all that great work you did was instantly removed because youoffended Mr Zale? You are a brilliant developer and always polite andhelpful, but I think even you would be upset.

I have been in this community since 1999. Ten years. Mr Zale hasabruptly ended my ability to participate in the community forums forreasons tht still remain unknown. He cites the "lies" in my postsSINCE this event, as the reason, but even when challenged to identifya single lie, fails to do so. This is just plain wrong and you knowit.

Add to that to childish refusal to sell more product, and you have atextbook example of a support Nazi. People need to know about this,and if I can affect change by bringing public awareness to this, Iwill. Mr Zale needs to hear loud and clear that this behaviour willnot be tolerated by users. Each one of these scandals costs himcredibility and sales. If he persists, he is going to be puttingpowerbasic up for sale again.

Your ability puts you in the top few developers in the world. Most ofus in the community are not. We rely heavily on the forums to learnand exchange ideas.

My goal is to warn anyone new to development and looking for alanguage, that there are some nasty minefields when you choosepowerbasic. Unless and until Mr Zale relents, this is going to costhim dearly... and rightly so. I would NEVER have chosen powerbasic hadI known how totally un-professional he was.

You and I had a great relationship until Feb 2008 when I received thisemail:02/01/2008 10:10Hi Mike,I have been told that “Mike Trader” is a false identity for Michaelxxxxx, of xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx.

Please change the display name in your account settings if you want tocontinue to post. No need to re-register (I don’t care if you use MikeTrader for login), just change the “Name” setting.

Click “Profile” in the top menu, and then “Account Related Settings”in the “Modify Profile” menu.

Regards,José Roca

This email identified my FULL REAL name and other personal informationthat could only have come from Mr Zale. If the timing itself wasn'tenough, this email was proof posative that you had been coerced intobanning me by Mr Zale.

Over the years I have sent you a lot of money and contributed popularcode to your forumhttp://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?topic=1383.0

We worked through a complex Bluetooth problem togetherhttp://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?topic=1373.0;wap2

and some QUAD issues with SQLitehttp://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?topic=1473.0

Our relationship was destroyed in a single instant by Mr Zale, and youlet him do it. I submit that following Zale's policy, and banning meon his say-so, despite all our interactions over years (in which youknew full well my name was a nick) is WRONG, and despite yourbrilliance, undermines your credibility (as testified by the sparsepostings on your site). People do not respect a brilliant "nice""good" guy that will not stand up and do the right thing. As my fatherused to tell me, when you lie with dogs, you get fleas.

It doesn't make sense to have rules if you don't enforce them. I didn't do it fully in my first forum and it was a disaster.I fully agree with Chris post. Many people using pirated copies of PowerBASIC come here looking for a heaven. If you allow >the use of nicknames and alias, you can't know if they are pirates or not.

As Wayne points out, you still don't know if Tom Smith is a real name.As I posted in 2007http://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?topic=1273.0the solution is simple. Charge $1 to join and allow nicks. That solvesALL the problems except one, the only real one, the one that countsmore than all the others...

As reported by a former employee:"The real reason Mr Zale insists upon users registering with theirFULL REAL NAME is so that he can humiliate offenders BY NAME inpublic"

The story goes as follows:As a vendor, he must provide his FULL REAL name to have anycredibilty, and as a business owner. It irks him to no end that he hasto provide his name and users don't. It sends him over the edge whenthey dare to disagree with him or even worse, criticize the productthat is his "life's work". In the beggining powerbasic had quite a fewbugs and inconsitencies and some users would criticize him. To getrevenge he realized that using someones real name wsa more effectivebased on the truth that if you "throw enough mud, some sticks". It hasnothing whatever to do with software pirates, or forum bots oranythink like that, its about vengence, pure and simple.

In fact the truth is, everyone uses nicks, even you Jose, or should Isay Pepe?Loading Image...

Post by MikeTraderOn January 29, 2008, someone on the Powerbasic forum asked whenPowerbasic for Linux would be released. I replied to hisquestion by stating something to the effect that "Powerbasicfor Linux has been 'coming real soon now' for over tenyears, but unfortunately it hasn't ever been released."

Besides responding to your remark and eventually banning you, did anyoneat PB ever respond to the original question?

Post by MikeTraderWhile not nearly as active as the Powerbasic web forum, some peoplewho are interested in Powerbasic do follow that newsgroup.

Is there ever any feedback into the PB-hosted forums about theconversations that go on here in these newsgroups?

Does anyone ever post comments in the PB forums that anyone that wantsto have an uncensored and un-delete-able conversation or debate can doso here in these newsgroups?

Why do you keep at this? You're not going to resolve it here.It's a personal matter between you and Zale (or whatever his name is)This does nothing to help people who have problems using PB, whichis really the point of this newsgroup. I, for one, am tired of yourbickering.

Post by Tom LakeWhy do you keep at this? You're not going to resolve it here.It's a personal matter between you and Zale (or whatever his name is)This does nothing to help people who have problems using PB, whichis really the point of this newsgroup. I, for one, am tired of yourbickering.Tom Lake (My real name)

Thank you for your feedback Tom. If you are tired of reading it, thenstop reading it. That's called exercising your right to choose.Unfortunately powerbasic doesn't want others to enjoy this freedom sothey delete threads thus depriving those who are interested of thematerial they need to make an INFORMED decision about buying into aproduct owned by a person who behaves in this fashion.

It very obvious from the list of banned people and their testimonialsthat this it NOT just between Mr Zale and me. Thats what I thought formany years. I believed I had just committed some horrible faux pasthat I was unaware of. After a while realized that what you arereading here is a constant and consitent barrage upon the powerbasicuser base.

While I realize this reporting is not going to win any popularitycontests, but this "inconvenient truth" needs to be told. No one wantsto deal with this, so someone had too. People are not stupid. They cansniff out the truth if they want. The I have linked all the relevantmaterial. Read it and decide for yourself.

Why does this topic sound like a sob story ? Easy I guess, its becauseits a sob story. Many years ago I was registered in the PB forum as"hutch" a handle I have had since birth and a year or so later DaveNavarro closed my account for exactly the same reason that a fewpeople here are complaining about.

Did I sit up at night wringing my hands, losing sleep about it whilewiping the tear stains off my face ? Not really, I had to suffer thesheer indignity of doing a little extra typing and actually re-register but fortunately I have survived the experience and I am stillhere 10 year later.

Now for all of those things I could find to argue with the PowerBASICvendor about, his policy in the way he runs his forum is not one ofthem. The vast majority of members are decent people who are notafraid of other knowing their real name and the policy has delivered aforum that is still there 10 years down the track which is in itself aremarkable achievement.

Now while I am at it, here is a quick list of things that I couldeasily argue about with the PowerBASIC vendor.

(1) My taste in good pure malt is better than his.(2) As an Australian citizen I will never be converted into aREPUBLICRAT.(3) I actually like and support Barack Obama where I detested thatIMBECILE before him. :)(4) etc .....

What i DON'T have to argue with him about is the success story of bothhis forum and his products.

Come on guys, give it a break, you could end up with a serious case ofRSI from manual self delusion.

Well, after you have recovered from falling off your high horse itwill dawn on you that I have seen most of this stuff, know most ofthese people and don't need some dipsh*t who thinks he is a big shoton a clapped out Usenet group trying to sound like he actually knowssomething.

I don't have to hide behind an anonymous nickname, perhaps you couldjoin the human race as well. Thats what the debate was about, peopleskulking around the internet on fake names making a pest ofthemselves. I well agree with the PowerBASIC vendor in keeping hisforum a sensible place because the alternative is a clapped out heapof sh*t like Usenet full of d*ckheads like you.

I have alwas been fascinated with how easy it is to manipulate ad*ckhead on Usenet. The topic was related to the PowerBASIC vendorrestricting access to people who used their real names. You have justverified that policy by opening your mouth. The choice is simple forprogrammers who want to use the vendors products and get decentsupport in the process, they can hang around a clapped out heap ofsh*t like Usenet or they can join the vendors protected forum andnever have to listen to a d*ckhead like you again.

Now that you have managed to make a useful contribution at last, keepup the good work, flap your mouth off, look up some more naughtywords, keep saying really stupid things and you will keep pointingpeople to the vendors forum so they don't have to listen to thedribble that comes out of you.

The thing is, I can come up with a legit-looking "real name" whensigning up for admission to the PB forums. The stipulation that I givemy real name is unenforceable. That simple fact, and it's consequences,seems to have eluded you.

Post by hutch--The choice is simple for programmers who want to use the vendorsproducts and get decent support in the process, they can hangaround a clapped out heap of sh*t like Usenet

And you are making a fine example of being a clapped-out heap of shit.And yes, it's shit, not sh*t.

Post by hutch--or they can join the vendors protected forum and never haveto listen to a d*ckhead like you again.

The censors (oops, I mean moderators) will remove posts on privateforums (and delete accounts) based on the content of the posts - not theidentity of the poster. Someone using their real name (or somethingthat at least looks like a real name) can just as easily post materialthat the censor (oops, I mean moderator) will find objectionable.

Post by hutch--Now that you have managed to make a useful contribution at last,keep up the good work, flap your mouth off, look up some morenaughty words, keep saying really stupid things and you willkeep pointing people to the vendors forum so they don't haveto listen to the dribble that comes out of you.

At least you can post that paragraph here on usenet - where no one cantake it down. Try that on your precious PB forums.

If your PB censored forums are such hot-shit, then what are you doinghere - besides making an asshole out of yourself?

Speed Rod (Hay Man, I can delude myself at a million strokes asecond).

Just keep up the good work, drive even more people to the registeredhuman named and populated PowerBASIC peer forum.

Now go on, jump up and down, have a tantrum, threaten to hold yourbreath until the world does what you want. Look up some more naughtywords but be careful, mummy will paddle your tender little bottom ifyou keep saying naughty things.

Just keep it up, the PowerBASIC vendor could not have obtained abetter result even if he had paid an actor. Go on, chuck a tantrum,bleed at the ears, froth at the mouth, jump up and down a bit morethen sit sobbing in a corner after mummy paddles your poor tenderlittle bottom again.

Now don't worry about someone elses country on fire, if mummy keepspaddling your bottom, you will have an arse on fire.

You are doing well for a d*ckhead and not anly have you helpedPowerBASIC attract more people to its peer forum but you have ensuredthat they will not hang around a sh*thole like this when its populatedby d*ckheads like yourself. Now its not as if I need the publicity butthen if it comes for nothing, why not. Its always fun to extract somemore effort out of a d*ckhead in a clapped out old Usenet group and itwill certainly drive even more people away.

Now that you have proven that you have an internet connection and canmanage to do a little searching here and there, come clean and tell uswhy you are hiding your identity, what dirty little secrets do youhave up your sleeve that forces you to skulk around in the shadows ofthe internet trying to look like a human being. What are you so afraidabout that you have to behave like some dirty little p0rn vendor ordealer in nasty little boy pictures, are you afraid of getting caughtif someone finds out who you are.

Now come on before mummy find you are being a naughty little boyagain, jump up and down, throw a tantrum, start sprouting some morenaughty words and if you are lucky and fast enough mummy will notcatch you and tan your arse again.

I might develop this FAQ further, depending on how much interest there is in it.

You do that, its helps me find a few more of the family to help outthe old fellas. You are becoming amazingly useful for a dimwit withhis mouth in gear, brain in neutral and his dick in hand, keep up thegood work. :)

Steve, you really do rub some people the wrong way. Let's look at thisexample:

--------------

http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/

This page mainly serves to warn people of the treatment they can exceptfrom Stephen Leslie Hutchesson, a.k.a. hutch--, for as little as merelydisagreeing with his point-of-view.

Below are links to threads, posts and even declassified moderationmaterial involving or highlighting Steve "hutch--" Hutchesson and hisabusive actions toward members of the former Win32ASM Community, now ASMCommunity, along with his disrepect of fellow moderators at the time.Feel free to read, but please form your own opinion by investigatingsources outside of these... namely search the UseNET group alt.lang.asmand Steve's own forum at http://www.masm32.com/ for further evidence onthe continuation in this pattern of misconduct.

 WA: jeezes hutch, cut it out - An early example of how Steve exhibitsthe logical fallacy called "Special Pleading" and his desires to createan anti-American / pro-Australian medium.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030419043536.html

 allow members to delete their own threads in WA? - Steve attacks afellow moderator by applying the typical logical fallacy called "AdHominem".http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030419051201.html

 Does the world want Bush's Republican New World Order - An example ofhow Steve enjoys drawing people into flame-wars. The original poll hadtwo choices, "YES, we all want to grovel to Bush's superior culture" and"NO, they can shove it up their arse".http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030419212041.html

 Who deleted the poll I started in WA ? - Illustrates Steve's animositytowards Americans, or anyone who simply doesn't agree with him for thatmatter, with a little hint of a logical fallacy called "Biased Sample".http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030420060435.html

 My most recent email of support for defending against abuse. - Exampleof Steve attempting force the moderation team to swallow his rhetoric.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030420090605.html

 closing WA - In recent light of Steve's inability to control the WA(Worldy Affairs) forum, he joins the bandwagon in getting rid of it(again).http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030420172213.html

 Apply the axe to WA now ! - Steve becomes impatient with his recentagreement to disban the WA (Worldy Affairs) forum and tries to press theissue further.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030422223121.html

 what's going on here, hutch? - An attempt by the moderation team tointervene on Steve's abuse problems, with a good touch of how Steve'sego and head have become inflated due to the popularity of MASM32.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030424074935.html

 What's going on here Harold ? - Steve attempts to pull a classicallogical fallacy called a "Red Herring" where Steve blames the rest ofthe moderation team to take the focus off of his abusive actions.Thankfully, the "Red Herring" is quickly curtailed and the originalproblem of Steve's abuse is further discussed.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030424213414.html

 Notification to team members. - Steve loses his cool with his egotaking over completely and outright blames the rest of the moderationteam for the (then) current state of the forums instead addressing hisown personal issues. Perhaps a positive indication of elderlysenility... but insulting and uncalled for, none-the-less.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030427220137.html

 Policy change on illegal postings - More highlights of Steve using hismoderation status as leverage for executing his peronal agendas.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030429014219.html

 What's happened, has atrophy set in ? - More blatent insults towardthe moderation team on behalf of Steve, including remarks against nonnative-English speakers. Arrogance++??? Also included is a bit ofinformation as to the true origins of Steve's animosity toward f0dder.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20030430215629.html

 Steve (Hutch)esson - At one time, a statement to ASM Community aboutSteve and where I stand in regard to his actions.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20060331023335.html

 Behind the Scenes: ASM Community - A lengthy summary of the events andactions that lead Steve to leave this community. Recommended reading ifyou have the time.http://www.asmcommunity.net/hutch/20060616074300.html

Now we KNOW you really have something to hide, you even changed thetopic to try and cover your arse. Now come on, come clean, what areyour motives for hiding behind a bullsh*t name like "Basic Girl"whoops I mean "Goy" ? What is your dirty little perversion, dirtypictures, little boys, credit card fraud, you are too DUMMMMM to knowanything useful to sell to the TERRORISTS but HAY you may be stupidenough to try.

Now don't think I waste the time on a d*ckhead like you for no return,so far you have done everything necessary to drive people into a safesensible peer group forum and you have just become my publicity agentat no cost. Now all you need to do is let go of your DICK, pull yourpants back up so that when mummy paddles your poor tenderised littlebottom that it does not hurt as much.

Now don't forget to jump up and down, hold your breath until the worldloves you, throw a few tantrums, say more naughty things and driveeven more people away, they just don't have to listen to a d*ckheadlike you when they join the PowerBASIC peer group forum.

Post by MikeTraderOn January 29, 2008, someone on the Powerbasic forum asked whenPowerbasic for Linux would be released. I replied to hisquestion by stating something to the effect that "Powerbasicfor Linux has been 'coming real soon now' for over tenyears, but unfortunately it hasn't ever been released."

Besides responding to your remark and eventually banning you, did anyoneat PB ever respond to the original question?

Post by MikeTraderWhile not nearly as active as the Powerbasic web forum, some peoplewho are interested in Powerbasic do follow that newsgroup.

Is there ever any feedback into the PB-hosted forums about theconversations that go on here in these newsgroups?

Does anyone ever post comments in the PB forums that anyone that wantsto have an uncensored and un-delete-able conversation or debate can doso here in these newsgroups?